The present invention relates to membrane-based separation systems, and in particular, to a light-weight mist eliminator for a membrane-based separation system.
Certain mist eliminator systems function in a way to remove low pressure vapor fluids from inlet air. In particular, the presence of low vapor pressure fluids such as compressor oils and hydraulic fluids, typically in the form of fine aerosols (mist), can result in premature deactivation of membranes fairly rapidly as they permanently coat the membrane's selective layers.
Bleed air from aircraft turbines can contain such aerosols. The concentration of these aerosols in bleed air can reach more than an order of magnitude larger than a maximum recommended by membrane manufacturers. Pretreatment is therefore crucial to preventing failure events such as premature membrane deactivation in aircraft nitrogen generation systems (NGS).